During a New Years address, North Korea dictator Kim Jong-Un championed the recent execution of his uncle, 67-year-old Jang Song-Thaek. Kim did not, however, specify exactly how Jang was executed. According to Hong Kong paper Wen Wei Po, the 67-year-old was stripped naked and then thrown into a cage with 120 starved wild dogs who ate him alive.
Kim allegedly ordered the horrific death sentence as a punishment called “quan jue” for treachery. This type of execution is saved for only the most despised individuals — “normal” executions are carried out with firearms.
This particular execution was reportedly supervised by Kim himself on December 12. Five other men, all who were aides to the dictator, were also executed via “quan jue” along with Kim’s uncle.
The dictator called his uncle, who was once one of the most influential men in North Korea, “scum” and “filth” during his New Years address. Informing his uncle’s execution, Kim said, “Our party took resolute action to remove…scum elements within the party last year.”
He continued, “Our party’s timely, accurate decision to purge the anti-party, anti-revolutionary elements helped greatly cement solidarity within our party.”
Jang supposedly committed treachery by having “improper relations with several women” and because he “squandered foreign currency at casinos while he was receiving medical treatment in a foreign country under the care of the party.”
Many analysts believe the real reason Kim ordered Jang’s execution was because he felt threatened by him. Jang was considered one of the most powerful men in North Korea and had helped Kim come to power after his father, King Jong-II, died in 2011.
It seems clear that the execution was an effort to prove dominance, fearlessness, and leadership by Kim; it was almost a warning to anyone threatening to challenge the dictator.
Kim also spoke about war during his New Years address. He said, “If the war breaks out again in this land, it will bring about a massive nuclear disaster and the US will never be safe.”
The dictator’s “reign of terror” and love of power has many around the world terrified. It seems that he has no boundaries when trying to prove the power and scope of his position.